


Despite the Cold

by TheDragon



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Holidays, M/M, Snowball Fight, Teacher-Student Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-03
Updated: 2016-12-03
Packaged: 2018-09-03 18:07:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,249
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8724748
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheDragon/pseuds/TheDragon
Summary: It was the last day of school before the winter holidays, and Merlin was tired. His last class had spent the whole period having a competition as to who could throw the most paper balls into the rubbish bin when Merlin’s back was turned, and the class before that had ended early because two students had almost gotten into a fight. It had been a terrible, exhausting day, and Merlin was quite looking forward to getting home and spending the evening curled up on his couch with a good book and a cup of tea, taking sweet, sweet comfort in the knowledge that he wouldn’t have to see his students again until January.And then a glob of snow hit him in the face.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: Merlin/Arthur - I was having a snowball fight outside and you were casually walking by and oh my god I'm so sorry I accidentally nailed you in the face.

It was the last day of school before the winter holidays, and Merlin was tired. His last class had spent the whole period having a competition as to who could throw the most paper balls into the rubbish bin when Merlin’s back was turned, and the class before that had ended early because two students had almost gotten into a fight. It had been a terrible, exhausting day, and Merlin was quite looking forward to getting home and spending the evening curled up on his couch with a good book and a cup of tea, taking sweet, _sweet_  comfort in the knowledge that he wouldn’t have to see his students again until January.

And then a glob of snow hit him in the face.

His arms flailed as he tried to maintain his balance, but he still ended up on his backside. He groaned when his head smashed against the icy pavement, sending waves of pain radiating through it. Merlin stayed down, blinking up at the clear sky as the melting snow dripped from his face and trying to regain his breath after the adrenaline rush.

He closed his eyes for a second, willing everything to stop spinning, and when he opened them again, someone was standing over him.

“—so sorry”

“—an accident”

“I’m so—”

Merlin shook his head in an attempt to clear it, but groaned once again when the action brought nothing but more pain.

There were hands on him, helping him up. Merlin pushed them away, trying to get up on his own, but the hands were back on him when he swayed too far to the side and almost ended up back on the pavement.

“It’s fine,” he lied, looking up into the face of the person standing in front of him.

Arthur. Arthur was the person standing in front of him.

Merlin must have zoned out for a second, because when he blinked, Arthur’s expression had changed from one with a hint of concern to one of full-on worry.

“Mr Emrys?” Arthur asked a little loudly. The tone of his voice told Merlin that he’d said his name a few times already, and that Merlin’s head had been in the clouds at the time.

Arthur’s friends were standing a little ways off to the back, looking at the both of them with a not-so-small amount of trepidation on their faces. It was no wonder considering their ill-advised snowball fight had ended up with a teacher being hit with a snowball.

“That was your snowball?” he asked Arthur, lifting his hand to wipe the melting snow off his face, then moving it to probe at the back of his aching head. It hurt. Not as much as it had a few seconds ago, but it still ached. He tore his eyes away from Arthur to study a tree a few feet away from him, then sighed in relief when he realised that, thankfully, he wasn’t seeing double. No concussion, then.

“Yes, sir,” Arthur replied. “I really am very sorry,” he continued when Merlin returned his gaze to him.

“Yes, I can see that,” Merlin said, more self-confident than he had been now that the initial shock had passed and the pain had receded to a dull throb. He pursed his lips, eyes darting from Arthur to his friends. “I do, however, think that snowball fights are prohibited on school grounds,” he added, an idea beginning to form in his head.

If Merlin didn’t know any better, he would say that Arthur looked properly contrite. If he was any other teacher, he would have let him off the hook. After all, Arthur’s grades were stellar, he never missed any classes, and never got into trouble. Arthur was the very definition of a perfect student.

But Merlin wasn’t just any other teacher.

“I’m afraid you’re due for a detention, Mr Pendragon,” Merlin added, fighting to keep his voice cold and detached. He looked back at Arthur’s friends. “Off with the lot of you,” he exclaimed. “Don’t let me catch you doing this again.”

Arthur was looking at him, visibly confused. He opened his mouth to say something, but Merlin beat him to it.

“Arthur, if you’ll follow me,” Merlin said, turning around on his heel and going back the way he’d come from. Arthur quickly fell into step behind him, and they made their way across the snow-covered field and towards the school.

“Merlin, I—” Arthur began, but quieted down when Merlin shot him a glare over his shoulder. “Mr Emrys,” he tried again. “It’s the last day before the holidays.”

“Yes, I’ve realised,” Merlin replied, opening the doors. “Today was supposed to be a nice day. I was supposed to teach two classes that are usually well-behaved, and I would have gone home to get some well-deserved rest. But then some of my students decided it was a good idea to have a snowball fight.” Merlin glanced around the hallway to make sure that there was no one around, before lowering his voice to a whisper. “I wonder what you’re going to do to make it up to me.”

He smirked when he heard Arthur’s sharp intake of breath.

“I supposed I’ll have to think of something, won’t I?” Arthur purred after a moment’s hesitation, pressing up against Merlin’s back when they stopped in front of a door to an empty classroom.

Merlin twisted away when Arthur tried to wind his arms around his waist, shooting him a glare for his carelessness (it wouldn’t do to get caught _now_ , after almost a year of secret meetings), and opened the door to let the both of them in.

“I think I have an idea as to how you could start,” Merlin replied, closing and locking the door behind them. He turned around and pushed Arthur to the other corner of the room, not letting up till Arthur was sitting on the desk and Merlin was standing in between his spread legs.

Arthur looked up at him and leaned forward, letting their lips brush.

“So do I,” he said. “But I’m not sure it would be a good idea in your state,” he added. Merlin winced when Arthur’s fingers pressed down on the bruise that was forming at the back of his head. “I really am sorry,” Arthur whispered. “I was aiming for Gwaine, but he moved out of the way.” Merlin leaned in and kissed the beginnings of a frown off his face.

“Make it up to me,” he challenged, moving around the desk until he was sitting in the chair. Arthur pulled up his legs and swivelled around to face him, then eased himself off the desk and into Merlin’s lap.

He shrugged out of his coat and tossed it to the side, before moving to unbutton Merlin’s.

“I plan to,” Arthur said, easing Merlin’s coat off his shoulders. “Actually, I’ve been thinking…”

“Hmm?” Merlin shivered when Arthur’s cold hands found their way under his shirt.

“Well, we won’t be seeing each other over the holidays,” Arthur began, letting his cold hands smooth over the planes of Merlin’s chest. He leaned in and planted a quick kiss on the side of Merlin’s jaw.

“Yes?” Merlin’s breath hitched when Arthur’s teeth latched onto the skin of his neck and _pulled_.

“How about I give you your present now?” Arthur asked in between kisses as his hands delved lower and lower, past the waistband of Merlin’s trousers and into his pants.

And who was Merlin to say no?


End file.
